Muffler



March l1, 1930. C l Q GUERNSEY 1,750,590

` l MUFFLnR Filed DEG. 51. 1926 zer/wey Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE `Application filed December 3.1, 1926. Serial No. 158,260.

' This invention relates to vehicles, and more particularly it relates to a muffler for discharging exhaust gases through the roof of a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine.

The prime object of this invention is' to lprovide a muffler which can be lreadily combined with the cooling system of an internal combustion engine used for propelling a railway car or other similar vehicle so that the air used for cooling the radiator of the -engine may be dischargedthrough the same opening in they roof of the vehicle as are the exhaust gases from the engine.

Another Objectis 'to provide means for ycooling the exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine by combining such gases with the air used for cooling the radiator of the engine cooling system.

A further object of the invention is to provide a muffler which is simple in construction, reliable and efficient in operation, and which can readily be installed on 'the roofs of railway cars.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the combination of elements and a-rrangements of parts herein after more fully described land claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a plan of a muer constructed according to the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the muffler, showing the same installed on the roof of a railway car,

Fig. 3 is a detail' section of the exhaust outlet passage.

The mufller comprises an annular ring 5,

, which is, as shown by Fig. 2, U-shaped in cross-section, and has an upstanding vertically disposed ilange 6 and a depending flange 7 on its inner periphery, the diameter of the flange 6 being slightly` greater than the diameter of the flange 7.

A cylindrical band 8 is mounted inside of the ring 5, the lower edge of the band being tightly fitted within the lower flange 7 and secured thereto by rivets or other suitable 'ring 5 is such that the upper edge of theband lies at a distance below the upper edge of the flange 6, while the exterior of the band is spaced slightly from the flange 6. This provides a circumferential slot 9 that serves as a continuous outlet passage on the innerV side of the muiler (s ee Fig. 3).

The ring 5 has fast'enedthereto a lateral branch 10, to 'which thev e'xhaust pipe (not shown) from the engine is connected. The purpose of the branch is to provide an inlet which will be substantially tangent to the muilier body.

The muliler is mounted in an opening '11 with which the roof C of the car is provided. The opening has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the ring 5 and the muffler is inserted in this opening.

The exterior of thering 5 has riveted thereto the vertical flange of an annular angle iron 12, the horizontal flange of which angle iron being fastened to the roof C by means of bolts 13, as shown by Fig. 2. Y I

In this way the muler will be rigidly mounted with only a portion thereof extending above the roof. The arrangement of the parts, is such that the exterior of the car roof is not marred to any great extent.

The fan 14 indicated by broken lines in the drawings, may be centrally disposed within the muilier, independent thereof.

The purpose of the fan is to draw air upwardly through the muiiler from the cooling system of the engine not shown).

ln the operation, t e exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine will enter the muilierl through the inlet provided by the branch pipe 10 and travel around the annular chamber provided by the U-shaped ring 5 and the band 8. The direction of the gases which whirl around the interior of the mufller, is indicated by the dotted arrows, Fig. 1. The gases after whirling around pass upwardly through the outlet provided by the annular slot 9, in the manner indicated by the arrows, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3.

When the fan 14, is delivering the air from the radiator, it creates an up-draft, and since the exhaust gases are discharged around the air opening, these gases will be carried above the car. In this manner any possibility of the exhaust gases entering the car -Will be avoided. Furthermore, the large volume of air passing through the central opening in the mutller from the fan will have a beneficial effectA in cooling the exhaust gases. On the other hand, should the use of a fan in the ceritral opening of thev mufller not be possible for any reason, the discharge of the exhaust gases through the slot 9 Will also cause an up-draft through the central opening, and in this Way air will be drawn therethrough.

It is to be understood that While I have, in the present case, described one form of the invention, I am not limited to the precise structure disclosed, and that other forms of mufllers may be utilized Without departing from the scope ofthe appended claims.

The shape of the cross-section of the circumferential exhaust opening may be modified so as to vary the amount of air drawn up through thecentr'al opening.

The gases rotating continually around the ring gives a more even discharge than is possible with a muliier having a closed end. The

rotation ofthe gases Will tend to set up aV partial vacuum in the exhaust vpipe between explosions and the design may be modified tol accomplish this object of the invention.

I claim: v

l. Means for discharging the exhaustgases from an internal combustion engine including a Ushaped ring provided With an inlet on its exterior and having upper and lower verticallyl disposed flanges, the diameter of the lower flange being less than the diameter ofthe upper flange, a cylindrical band mounted inside of the said ring and secured to said flanges to produce an unobstructed annular chamber, the exterior ofthe band being spaced from the upper flange so as to provide a substantially unobstructed circumferential outlet for the chamber, and a rotary fan disposed centrally Within the said ring and adapted to create an 11p-'draft therethrough, said inlet being substantially tangential to said cylindrical band. l

2. A mullier comprising an unobstructed annular chamber having a fiat cylindrical inner Wall and provided at one side thereof at the inner face of said Wall with alsubstan tially unobstructed annular outlet, a fan for creating a draft axially of the annular chamber and disposed Within the circular space defined by the annular chamber and means for admitting exhaust gases to said chamber in a direction substantially tangential to said inner Wall.

CHARLESl O. GUERNSEY. 

